Micropump

ABSTRACT

There is provided a micropump, including: a substrate; a pressure chamber formed in the substrate; and a connecting flow channel connected to the pressure chamber and extended in a vertical direction with respect to a radial direction of the pressure chamber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0005457 filed on Jan. 16, 2014, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a micropump allowing for a micro flow rate.

In order to develop new medicines and experimentally determine the stability of new medicines, it is necessary to observe reactions between new medicines (that is, drugs) and cells. Generally, experiments involving reactions between drugs and the cells are performed using a culture dish, or the like.

However, since reactions between drugs and cells made in the culture dish may be very different from reactions between drugs and cells occurring within the human body, it may be difficult to accurately observe or inspect reactions between drugs and cells through only a result of experiments using a culture dish. Therefore, there is a need to develop a new device capable of observing reactions between drugs and cells in an environment similar to that inside a human body.

To this end, the inventor has developed technology allowing for the circulation of a culture medium. In order to smoothly culture the cell, however, since a small amount of culture medium needs to be constantly supplied, the development of a micropump capable of constantly supplying a small amount of fluid has been demanded.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the present invention may provide a micropump capable of constantly supplying a small amount of fluid.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a micropump may include: a substrate; a pressure chamber formed in the substrate; and a connecting flow channel connected to the pressure chamber and extended in a vertical direction with respect to a radial direction of the pressure chamber.

The pressure chamber may have a circular shape, an oval shape, or a shape formed by curves having one or more radii of curvature.

The connecting flow channel may include one or more expansion parts.

The connecting flow channel may be connected to the pressure chamber in the expansion parts.

The micropump may further include an upper substrate disposed on the substrate and having an inlet and an outlet connected to the connecting flow channel.

The micropump may further include a piezoelectric actuator disposed on the substrate.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a micropump may include: a substrate; a pressure chamber formed in the substrate; and a connecting flow channel connected to the pressure chamber and having a curved shape.

The pressure chamber may have a circular shape, an oval shape, or a shape formed by curves having one or more radii of curvature.

The connecting flow channel may be formed by a curve circumscribed with the pressure chamber.

The connecting flow channel may be formed by a curve inscribed in the pressure chamber.

The connecting flow channel may include one or more expansion parts.

The connecting flow channel may be connected to the pressure chamber in the expansion parts.

The micropump may further include an upper substrate disposed on the substrate and having an inlet and an outlet connected to the connecting flow channel.

The micropump may further include a piezoelectric actuator disposed on the substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and other advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a micropump according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a substrate of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the micropump of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the micropump of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of portion A of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a valve of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of portion B of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a valve of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a micropump according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of a substrate of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of another example of the substrate of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

In the drawings, the shapes and dimensions of elements maybe exaggerated for clarity, and the same reference numerals will be used throughout to designate the same or like elements.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a micropump according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a substrate of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the micropump of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the micropump of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of portion A of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a plan view of a valve of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of portion B of FIG. 4, FIG. 8 is a plan view of a valve of FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a micropump according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 10 is a bottom view of a substrate of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a bottom view of another example of the substrate of FIG. 9.

A micropump 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 3.

The micropump 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include a bottom substrate 110, a flow channel forming substrate 120, and a valve substrate 140. In addition, the micropump 100 may further include an actuator 150, if necessary. Here, the bottom substrate 110, the flow channel forming substrate 120, and the valve substrate 140 may be sequentially stacked.

The bottom substrate 110 may form a base part of the micropump 100. The bottom substrate 110 may be formed of a single crystal silicon substrate or a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate. In this case, the bottom substrate 110 may be a stacked structure in which a silicon substrate and a plurality of insulating members are stacked.

The flow channel forming substrate 120 may be a substrate in which a flow channel through which a fluid (e.g., a culture medium or drugs) is conveyed is formed. To this end, a first surface (an upper surface based on FIG. 1) of the flow channel forming substrate 120 may be provided with a first connecting opening 132 and a second connecting opening 134, and a second surface (a lower surface based on FIG. 1) of the flow channel forming substrate 120 may be provided with a pressure chamber 122 and a connecting flow channel 124.

The pressure chamber 122 may have a volume capable of receiving a predetermined amount of fluid. For example, the pressure chamber 122 may have volume capable of generating a first magnitude of pressure. Further, the pressure chamber 122 may be designed to have a changeable volume, if necessary. For example, the volume of the pressure chamber 122 may be expanded or reduced by the piezoelectric actuator 150. To this end, the piezoelectric actuator 150 may be formed on one surface of the pressure chamber 122. The pressure chamber 122 may have a circular shape as shown in FIG. 2. However, the cross-sectional shape of the pressure chamber 122 is not limited to the circular shape. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the pressure chamber 122 may include an oval shape, a regular shape, or an irregular shape.

The connecting flow channel 124 may connect the first connecting opening 132 and the second connecting opening 134 to each other. For example, the connecting flow channel 124 may have a linear form connecting the first connecting opening 132 and the second connecting opening 134 to each other. As an example, the connecting flow channel 124 may have the linear form extended in a tangential direction for the circular pressure chamber 122. That is, a vertical line V extended from the center of the pressure chamber 122 to a straight line N may be substantially equal to a radius R of the pressure chamber 122.

The connecting flow channel 124 may have one or more expansion parts. For example, the connecting flow channel 124 may be provided with two expansion parts 126 and 128. Here, a first expansion part 126 may be formed in a section connecting the first connecting opening 132 and the pressure chamber 122 to each other, and a second expansion part 128 may be formed in a section connecting the pressure chamber 122 and the second connecting opening 134 to each other. However, the number and the position of expansion parts 126 and 128 are not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, the number of expansion parts may be increased or decreased, and the position thereof may also be changed.

The first expansion part 126 may have a cross-sectional area gradually increased from the first connecting opening 132 toward the pressure chamber 122. For example, the first expansion part 126 may have a triangular shape in which it is widened in a direction from the first connecting opening 132 toward the pressure chamber 122.

The second expansion part 128 may have a cross-sectional area gradually increased from the pressure chamber 122 toward the second connecting opening 134. For example, the second expansion part 128 may have a triangular shape in which it is widened from the pressure chamber 122 toward the second connecting opening 134.

The above-described shape of the connecting flow channel 124 may significantly reduce or prevent a phenomenon in which the fluid flows backwards from the second connecting opening 134 to the first connecting opening 132. For reference, the connecting flow channel 124 maybe changed to have another shape as long as it may significantly reduce or prevent the back flow of the fluid.

Similar to the bottom substrate 110, the flow channel forming substrate 120 may be formed of a single crystal silicon substrate or a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate. The flow channel forming substrate 120 maybe integrally formed with the bottom substrate 110 through a sintering process.

The valve substrate 140 may be formed on one surface of the flow channel forming substrate 120 and may control a movement of the fluid flowing in the flow channel forming substrate 120. To this end, the valve substrate 140 may include one or more valves 210 and 220.

The valve substrate 140 may be provided with a first opening 142 and a second opening 144. Here, the first opening 142 maybe connected to the first connecting opening 132 of the flow channel forming substrate 120, and the second opening 144 may be connected to the second connecting opening 134 of the flow channel forming substrate 120.

The valves 210 and 220 may be installed in the first opening 142 and the second opening 144, respectively. More specifically, the first valve 210 maybe installed in the first opening 142 and the second valve 220 may be installed in the second opening 144. Meanwhile, although the valves in the present embodiment are installed in both of the first opening 142 and the second opening 144 by way of example, a single valve may only be installed in a corresponding opening, if necessary.

The valve substrate 140 may be formed of plastic or a synthetic resin material. In this case, the valve substrate 140 and the valves 210 and 220 may be easily processed, resulting in a reduction of production costs. However, if necessary, the valve substrate 140 may be formed of a silicon substrate, and only the valves 210 and 220 may be formed of plastic or a synthetic resin material.

The piezoelectric actuator 150 may be formed on the flow channel forming substrate 120. More specifically, the piezoelectric actuator 150 may be formed on one surface (the upper surface based on FIG. 1) of the flow channel forming substrate 120. The piezoelectric actuator 150 may include a lower electrode, a piezoelectric element, and an upper electrode. More specifically, the lower electrode may be formed on the upper surface of the flow channel forming substrate 120, and the piezoelectric element may be formed on an upper surface of the lower electrode, and the upper electrode may be formed on an upper surface of the piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric actuator 150 may generate driving force by deforming the piezoelectric element through a current signal supplied through the upper electrode and the lower electrode. Here, the driving force of the piezoelectric actuator 150 may be transferred to the pressure chamber 122 of the flow channel forming substrate 120 to thereby cause a fluid flow.

The micropump 100 may allow a fluid to be moved only in one direction through the valves 210 and 220, and details thereof will be provided with reference to FIGS. 4 through 8.

An inlet side (a portion indicated by B in FIG. 4) of the micropump 100 may be configured as shown in FIG. 5. For example, the first connecting opening 132 of the flow channel forming substrate 120 may have a first diameter D1. Further, the first opening 142 of the valve substrate 140 may have a second diameter D2. Here, the first diameter D1 may be larger than the second diameter D2. Further, a first space 146 capable of receiving the first valve 210 may be formed below the lower surface of the valve substrate 140.

The first valve 210 maybe installed in the first space 146. The first valve 210 may be vertically moved in a height direction (based on FIG. 5) of the first space 146 and may close the first opening 142. To this end, the first valve 210 may be provided with a plurality of discharging openings 212 as shown in FIG. 6. Here, a diameter D6 of a circle which is inscribed in the plurality of discharging openings 212 may be larger than the second diameter D2 of the first opening 142. Further, a diameter D5 of a circle which is circumscribed with the plurality of discharging openings 212 may be larger than the second diameter D2 of the first opening 142, but may be smaller than the first diameter D1 of the first connecting opening 132.

The fluid may be introduced into the micropump 100 through the following method:

When the fluid is moved from the first opening 142 to the first connecting opening 132, the discharging openings 212 are open as the first valve 210 is moved downwardly, thereby allowing the fluid to be moved. On the other hand, when the fluid is moved from the first connecting opening 132 to the first opening 142, the first opening 142 is closed as the first valve 210 is moved upwardly, thereby blocking the fluid from being moved.

An outlet side (a portion indicated by C in FIG. 4) of the micropump 100 may be configured as shown in FIG. 7. For example, the second connecting opening 134 of the flow channel forming substrate 120 may have a third diameter D3. Further, the second opening 144 of the valve substrate 140 may have a fourth diameter D4. Here, the third diameter D3 maybe smaller than the fourth diameter D4. Further, a second space 148 capable of receiving the second valve 220 may be formed below the lower surface of the valve substrate 140.

The second valve 220 maybe installed in the second space 148. The second valve 220 may be vertically moved in a height direction (based on FIG. 7) of the second space 148 and may close the second opening 134. To this end, the second valve 220 may be provided with a plurality of discharging openings 222 as shown in FIG. 8. Here, a diameter D8 of a circle which is inscribed in the plurality of discharging openings 222 may be larger than the third diameter D3 of the second connecting opening 134, and a diameter D7 of a circle which is circumscribed with the plurality of discharging openings 222 may be smaller than the fourth diameter D4 of the second opening 144.

The fluid may be discharged from the micropump 100 through the following method:

When the fluid is moved from the second connecting opening 134 to the second opening 144, the discharging openings 222 are open as the second valve 220 is moved upwardly, thereby allowing the fluid to be moved. On the other hand, when the fluid is moved from the second opening 144 to the second connecting opening 134, the discharging openings 222 are closed as the second valve 220 is moved downwardly, thereby blocking the fluid from being moved.

In the above-described configuration of the micropump 100, the flow of the fluid from the first connecting opening 132 to the second connecting opening 134 is not interrupted by the pressure chamber 122, the fluid may be smoothly moved. Further, since internal pressure may be easily decreased in the pressure chamber 122 by the fluid flowing through the connecting flow channel 124, the micropump 100 may easily perform a purging process in the pressure chamber 122.

Further, the micropump 100 may effectively block the back flow of the fluid by the above-described valve configuration. Further, since the micropump 100 controls the direction of movement of the fluid by the valves 210 and 220, it may constantly move a small amount of fluid. Further, the valve substrate 140 provided with the valves 210 and 220 may be separately manufactured, whereby a process of manufacturing the micropump 100 may be simplified and production costs of the micropump 100 may be reduced.

Next, the micropump 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 11. For reference, in the following exemplary embodiment, the same element as those in the above-described exemplary embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The micropump 100 according to this exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may be different from that according to the above-described exemplary embodiment in terms of positions of the pressure chamber 122 and the connecting flow channel 124. For example, according to this exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the pressure chamber 122 and the connecting flow channel 124 may be formed in an upper surface of the flow channel forming substrate 120 as shown in FIG. 9.

In this case, the bottom substrate 110 may be removed from the micropump 100, whereby the process of manufacturing the micropump 100 may be simplified and production costs thereof may be reduced.

Further, the micropump 100 according to this exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may be different from that according to the above-described exemplary embodiment in terms of the shape of the connecting flow channel 124. For example, in the micropump 100 according to this exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the connecting flow channel 124 may be formed in shapes of curves R1 and R2 which are substantially circumscribed with or inscribed in the circular pressure chamber 122.

The micropump 100 having the above-mentioned configuration may extend a length of the connecting flow channel 124 without changing change the size of the substrate. Particularly, since the pressure chamber 122 and the connecting flow channel 124 may be concentrated in a limited region, whereby the miniaturization of the micropump 100 may be facilitated.

While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations could be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A micropump, comprising: a substrate; a pressure chamber formed in the substrate; and a connecting flow channel connected to the pressure chamber and extended in a vertical direction with respect to a radial direction of the pressure chamber.
 2. The micropump of claim 1, wherein the pressure chamber has a circular shape, an oval shape, or a shape formed by curves having one or more radii of curvature.
 3. The micropump of claim 1, wherein the connecting flow channel includes one or more expansion parts.
 4. The micropump of claim 3, wherein the connecting flow channel is connected to the pressure chamber in the expansion parts.
 5. The micropump of claim 1, further comprising an upper substrate disposed on the substrate and having an inlet and an outlet connected to the connecting flow channel.
 6. The micropump of claim 1, further comprising a piezoelectric actuator disposed on the substrate.
 7. A micropump, comprising: a substrate; a pressure chamber formed in the substrate; and a connecting flow channel connected to the pressure chamber and having a curved shape.
 8. The micropump of claim 7, wherein the pressure chamber has a circular shape, an oval shape, or a shape formed by curves having one or more radii of curvature.
 9. The micropump of claim 7, wherein the connecting flow channel is formed by a curve circumscribed with the pressure chamber.
 10. The micropump of claim 7, wherein the connecting flow channel is formed by a curve inscribed in the pressure chamber.
 11. The micropump of claim 7, wherein the connecting flow channel includes one or more expansion parts.
 12. The micropump of claim 11, wherein the connecting flow channel is connected to the pressure chamber in the expansion parts.
 13. The micropump of claim 7, further comprising an upper substrate disposed on the substrate and having an inlet and an outlet connected to the connecting flow channel.
 14. The micropump of claim 7, further comprising a piezoelectric actuator disposed on the substrate. 